Abstract
In a sense, Paul Virilio and Donna Haraway represent the pessimistic and optimistic wings of posthumanist attitudes toward technology, respectively. Analysis shows that both perspectives are determined to varying degrees by a mythos of technicism and fail to relate technology to specific socio-historical contexts and fundamental modes of production. Both thus reflect forms of technological determinism, albeit in different ways. In comparison, Haraway, who synthesizes technology and hope into a utopian vision, actually embodies a “cultural pessimism” (as described by Williams) and represents a “post-revolutionary atmosphere.” In contrast, Virilio's technological pessimism is more likely to be absorbed by Marxist critical techno-aesthetics, because vigilance against technicism can contribute to the production of class consciousness, which serves as the basis for Marxist revolutionary optimism.
Keywords
Posthumanism, Paul Virilio, Donna Haraway, technological determinism, postcoloniality
First Page
22
Last Page
33
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Moyan. 2025. "On the Determinism of Posthuman Technological Aesthetics: Centering on Paul Virilio and Donna Haraway." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (3): pp.22-33. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss3/3
